Electronic devices equipped with displays, such as smartphones, wearable devices, or the like have become commonplace as mobile communication technologies have advanced. These electronic devices may execute various functions such as photo or video capture, music or video playback, gaming, mobile communications, etc. The display is often employed for these functions.
In addition, these electronic devices may include various sensors to assist in the execution of the above-described functions. For example, the sensors may include a touch sensor, a force sensor, a fingerprint sensor, and/or the like. The touch sensor may sense whether an object (e.g., a finger of the user) makes contact with a transparent member of the electronic device, such as the glass surface of the display. The force sensor may sense the magnitude of pressure applied to the transparent member. The fingerprint sensor may recognize a fingerprint of the finger placed on the transparent member.
A potential disadvantage of these various sensors is that as more sensors are included in the electronic device, the size and/or thickness of the electronic device may increase. In particular, since the force sensor is often required to be disposed below the display and have multiple layers, the force sensor may significantly increase the thickness of the electronic device. Also, if the force sensor is disposed below the display and includes multiple layers, separation may occur between the layers.
Another potential disadvantage is that because the force sensor is a component that is independent of the display, dedicated integrated circuit and support layer may be required for the force sensor. The dedicated integrated circuit and support layer for the force sensor may also cause an increase in the manufacturing costs and power consumption of the electronic device.